10 WWE Title Reigns That Only Lasted 1 Day
10 very, very short WWE title reigns
9. Finn Balor - Universal Championship - August 21-22, 2016
Wrestlers getting injured is a common cause of short title reigns.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking example of this took place at SummerSlam 2016 and involved the match to crown the very first Universal Champion.
On one side you had Seth Rollins, the heel anointed in management’s pocket. And on the other side, there was Finn Balor, the recently called-up former NXT Champion with a great look and a killer move-set.
Balor beat Rollins to become the first-ever holder of this brand-new world championship. Sadly, he wouldn’t be able to hold anything for a while, as he injured his shoulder during the match.
One night later on Raw, Balor appeared with his arm in a sling to relinquish the title he had just won. It was devastating for the former Bullet Club leader and all of the fans who were desperate for him to succeed.
Balor would eventually return from injury, but he would never truly be taken seriously as a constant main eventer ever again.
